This cream blush is AMAZING. I was always a powder girl until a sales rep at Sephora suggested I try out Stila's convertible color in Peony. I'm so glad she did! It blends so easily and stays put for my entire workday. They claim that you can also use it as a lipstick, but I found that it is not nearly moisturizing enough for my lips. Just as a warning, the color goes on a little strong at first, but after a couple minutes it magically blends into your skin and creates a really natural looking glow! ($25)

During the winter my skin freaks out. I naturally have combination skin, but between November and March my entire face is constantly dry and flaky. Not cute. I've been trying a bunch of different exfoliating scrubs, and Exfolikate by Kate Somerville is definitely my favorite. My skin felt to incredibly smooth afterwards! It has also helped to even out my skin tone. I use it twice a week, the smallest size lasts me for about 6 weeks. Don't get nervous if your skin is extra pink afterwards, that is just because of the increased blood circulation. ($19)

I've been a fan of Kiehl's since high school. This cream helps to firm up the skin around my eyes (I'm prone to wrinkles and I talk to my cat, old lady status!) and keeps dark circles at bay. I've also dabbed it on my forehead and cheeks when they need a little firming up and it works great! They do make a similar concoction that is meant to be used as a face cream, so I might have to invest in that soon. ($38)

Being a fair-skinned ginger, I'm the type of girl who gets sunburned while walking from her house to her car during a rainstorm. This moisturizer from The Body Shop not only keeps me from turning into a lobster year-round, but also really brightens up my dull skin in the winter! I wouldn't recommend it for people with oily skin though, I could see it making your skin a bit greasy. ($20)

I discovered this Etsy shop while doing my holiday shopping, and I'm smitten! All of their lip balms are vegan and handmade, not to mention they have really great flavors. I bought a bunch of the bacon flavored ones for the men in my life, and they thought it was hysterical. I'm partial to SMOOCH because it smells delicious, and apparently this scent combo (pumpkin pie and lavender) is extra flirtatious. ($4)

1.17.2012

I'm going to ditch the apologetic, excuse-ridden opening statement and just dive right in. I really want to start putting time into this blog again, and probably add some new things like recipes and music recommendations.

To catch you up on what has been going on in my life since my last post...

working a full-time job (yay!) as the Operations Director at a local business, dating a guitar-playing, blue-eyed boy for the past nine months, purging my apartment of its original dorm room decor and making it more "grown-up"/cozy/organized, and old roomie moved out and new roomie is one of my very good friends from home (He makes me rate his belching on a scale from 1 to 10. We have fun.)

Until I officially get my shit together (and my camera fixed/replaced), here are some other sites you can check me out on:

Polyvore is the newest addition. I've been using it to keep a visual collection of everything in my closet (slowly, but surely) and plan outfits in advance. If I don't make note of an idea as soon as I get it, it's rare that I remember it again later/ever. And, now I won't have sticky notes on my closet door!